A father of five, with four children from his marriage which ended in 1996 and a daughter from a more recent relationship, John received €40,000 from Killaloe diocese in 2008 and an additional €5,000 in 2009. He also received an estimated €20,000 from the personal funds of Bishop Willie Walsh. He has not issued legal proceedings against the dioceses involved.

In the past few years, John has been meeting with Church officials. Some “40 to 50 times,” which sounds like a lot?

John made a lengthy statement to the Garda in recent weeks about his dealings with the three priests. Bishop Walsh said he believed that Fr T, a priest of Killaloe diocese who engaged John in a gay relationship for about a year (and who, as with the other two priests concerned cannot be named for legal reasons), “was the worst offender”. Fr T has since left the priesthood.

John was 18 and lived in the same parish where Fr T had recently been appointed. John was sent to the priest by his father to seek help because he was concerned at how distraught John was following the break-up of a relationship with a girl. Over time, Fr T made advances and a sexual relationship developed. John claims Fr T took him to visit a former Maynooth classmate of his, Fr U, in the diocese of Killala. John alleges he was raped by Fr U during that visit.

Neither Fr U nor Fr V are still with the church, which seems like the right sort of outcome. Also: Can we stop assuming priests, who are theoretically celibate individuals with little to no dating experience to speak of, are relationship experts?

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11 Comments

Bill Perdue

Religion is the enemy.

Religion is a howling madness straight out of prehistory and the Dark Ages.

Religion is humankinds greatest tragedy.

Especially the christer cults, judiasm and islamism.

Tax the churches till they go out of business.

Secularize, without compensation, all cult owned or run schools, hospitals and other venues to prevent the widespread rape of children by priests. rabbis, pastors, imams, bishops, ministers and other parasites.

Uh, so an 18 year old MAN couldn’t say no to the advances of a weirdo priest? Fishy little story this one…sounds more like a confused young ADULT entered into a consensual relationship with a priest (since he went back for more and more and more) and is now cashing in on the backs of other victims. No heroes in this story; just a scummy church being taken advantage of by a scummy, self-loathing adult.

@james_from_cambridge: I don’t think you fully understand the many degrees to rape. Most people who come forward about rape is telling the truth!! Leave finding if it is the truth to the shrinks.

August 14, 2010 at 11:08am

A G Maxwell

How rewarding in compensation are the many instances of abuse which victims go through and move thence on to another phase from institutions/individuals who are outside the church? To me it appears Peter’s pence is easily solicited; outside the church there is no salvation for these abuses as they are not considered heinous or sinful or immoral whichever way you look !

@Bill Perdue: He was a fucking adult! You’re gonna compare an adult having a sexual relationship with a little kid with some confused 18 year old having CONSENSUAL sex with a priest, repeatedly? C’mon people!

August 15, 2010 at 6:08am

Joe

@james_from_the_great_city_of_cambridge: I agree. I once knew a priest who, when he was in his 30’s, had a consentual RELATIONSHIP, with a 17 year old. This went on for years until in the late 80’s when the man (who was now in his 30’s) sued the priest. While I couldn’t care less if the church looses all its money, trying to compare it to pedophelia is a bit weak

August 15, 2010 at 10:08am

Bill Perdue

‘Consensual’ between children and authoritarian priests and between young adults and authoritarian priests, especially in Ireland where these rapes are often preceded by and followed by beatings is not really a grey area. They’re rapes, even if they occur regularly over time.

Bill Perdue

James and Joe. No I was not making that comparison. I n Ireland ans well as the US young adults of both sexes get raped and abused as well as children.

‘Consensual’ between children and authoritarian priests and between young adults and authoritarian priests, especially in Ireland where these rapes are often preceded by and followed by beatings is not really a grey area. They’re rapes, even if they occur regularly over time.

Bill Perdue

L.

Not to either belittle the man’s suffering, nor to say it can possibly exonerate the priests in *any* way – being the men with ascendancy they should not have taken advantage of a troubled youth – but I’d agree that this has little to do with pedophilia, and should not be lumped with the related scandals rippling through the Catholic Church.